** Be advised this chapter contains contents such as nonconsensual moments**
The Winters’ great hall was quieter than usual. The fire in the hearth had burned low, but the tension in the air kept the family awake long after the sun rose. Celeste sat at the long table, her brothers flanking her on either side, her parents across.
“I can’t keep hiding here,” Celeste said finally, breaking the silence that had stretched for too long. Her voice didn’t tremble, but the weight behind it carried through the room. “With Silas as my mate, with the power Verena and I hold, I can’t pretend shadows will shield us forever. They won’t. They never could.”
Her father, Cedric, leaned forward, his hands braced on the table. “Celeste...”
But Calix’s voice cut in first, firm and unyielding. “She’s right.
